Recycling Old Clothing Gives New Life to Old Clothes

Have you looked at your wardrobe and started wondering how to start recycling old clothing? As you work on decluttering the closet in the coming months, stop to think about the impact of your closet clean out. What are you doing with your old clothes? Donating used clothes is a great choice. But what happens to clothing that is beyond repair and reuse? Did you know that textile recycling is gaining in popularity?

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Old clothes gain new life as something other than clothes when you recycle them. Donate used clothing whenever possible, and then learn how to recycle old clothing to go one step further. Its a great way to ensure that you create a sustainable closet.

Textile Recycling and the Carbon Impact of Clothing

Textile recycling has become a booming new business in the last decade. Given our unrelenting love of clothes shopping and a surge in easy green living tips (I’d like to think they’re connected), recycling old clothing is a no-brainer. Despite the fact that closets overflow with clothes that aren’t worn or needed, it’s hard to resist a good sale on a sexy pair of black skinny jeans.

But getting rid of old clothes can leave a deep carbon footprint when done improperly. If your drawers need to be thinned, consider recycling old clothes to reduce your shopping spree’s impact on the environment.

More Sustainable Decluttering Tips

How to Get Clothes to Last Longer

Recycling old clothes and donating them to a thrift store should be a last choice option. Learning how to get clothes to last longer means more money saved and less impact on our environment. Here are a few tips to get your clothing to last longer:

Buy Quality Yes, there really is a big difference between a well made piece of clothing and stuff you find at the dollar store. Spend money up front on high quality clothes if you want them to last a while.

Use a Delicates Bag Using a mesh laundry bag to protect delicate clothing will keep them lasting longer.

Reduce the Amount of Detergent. Detergent residue will ruin your clothing. Use less to extend the life of your clothing.

Wash Dark Clothing Inside Out. This helps prevent fading over time and will keep clothes looking like new.

Yes, Clothes Can Be Harmful

When you toss an old shirt, the impact on the environment is bigger than you may think. Your shirt goes from trash can to landfill, degrading slowly and releasing harmful methane gas into whichever ecosystem this landfill was built in. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in the U.S. The Huffigton Post says methane is known to be 28 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. That means your unwanted shirt is directly affecting global warming. There are plenty of alternatives to throwing away your unwanted clothes that you should consider instead. Recycling old clothing is one way to keep them out of landfills.

How to Give Them Back

According to the Vox Magazine, 25 billion pounds of textiles are generated in the United States per year alone, not including imports. That’s about 82 pounds per resident. But there are better alternatives when it comes to cleaning out your closet. Clothes that are of no more use to you can be recycled. Donating your old clothing to thrift stores or selling them to a consignment shop are similarly excellent ways to give new life to old clothes. Many organizations will accept used clothing, even if it’s slightly stained or worn out in certain areas. Even towns — and certain brands and retailers — have started recycling old clothing to do their part in countering climate change.

Upcycle Clothes into Rags, Placemats and Baskets

Think your clothing item is too far gone to be useful? Turn your old clothes into rags and cleaning tools. Companies like Coastal Wipers turn various recycled clothing items into wiping cloths and shop towels. Jinja, a Portuguese company, sells a wide range of original, handcrafted products made from 100-percent recycled textiles. It offers everything from laundry baskets to placemats and decorative bowls.

As you can see, recycling your clothes can transform your dated wardrobe into something useful — even beautiful — with just a little effort into finding the right recipient and end-product. Adding them back into your home as beverage coasters can be a great conversation starter, too.

Where to Begin Recycling Old Clothing

Now that you know how recycling old clothing can benefit the environment, you want to do your part. The first step is to find out how to turn your unwanted clothes over to the organizations that can actually do something with them. Check out Earth911 for information on clothing recycling. Email your favorite retailers and brands to ask about clothing recycling, or consult Brit + Co for a list of fashion brands that offer recycling programs.

From placemats to laundry baskets, you can give new life to old clothes by jumping on the textile recylcing bandwagon. Help lower landfill emissions by not ditching your old clothes in the trash.

Are you recycling old clothing this month?

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Diane has a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology with a Minor in Health Management and Policy. She spent many years working in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging as a way to share this knowledge with others. While passionate about health and the environment she can’t quite give up her favorite Cheetos and Diet Coke!

Hello! I'm Diane. I'm a busy mom of hormonal teens who is trying to go green, get healthy and simplify life one baby step at a time. Click the photo to learn more about me or email me at [email protected]